RC & DI Moderator
Joined: 02 Aug 2009
Status:Math and DI Expert
Posts: 11187
Given Kudos: 291
Re: All but 5 students in a certain calculus class took the final exam on
[#permalink]
26 Jan 2024, 03:39
All but 5 students in a certain calculus class took the final exam on the scheduled day. The mean score for these students was m. Later, the 5 students who had missed the scheduled exam took it and the mean score for the entire class was calculated. If n represents the mean score of the entire class, is n greater than m?
Let the total strength be x, so total score of x-5 students = m(x-5).
Including these 5 students, total score is x*n.
So many unknowns and further unknowns in the statements.
x, m, n, mode, range??
Answer should be E because mean could have been compared if we had some substantial information such as total score, means etc
(1) The mode score for the entire class was higher than the mode score for the students who took the exam on the scheduled day.
Mode is the number(score) that comes the maximum number of times. So, the mode increases for all students.
Say, x=10 students, and 5 students on the scheduled day got score 10, 12, 12, 16, 20.
The entire class score could be = 10, 12, 12, 13, 13, 13, 14, 15, 16, 20....So, n<m
But it could also be 10, 12, 12, 16, 16, 16, 16, 16, 16, 20......n>m
Insuff
(2) The range of the scores for the entire class was the same as the range of the scores for the students who took the exam on the scheduled day.
Same examples would stand
Say, x=10 students, and 5 students on the scheduled day got score 10, 12, 12, 16, 20.
The entire class score could be = 10, 12, 12, 13, 13, 13, 14, 15, 16, 20....So, n<m
But it could also be 10, 12, 12, 16, 16, 16, 16, 16, 16, 20......n>m
Insuff
Combined
Say, x=10 students, and 5 students on the scheduled day got score 10, 12, 12, 16, 20.
The entire class score could be = 10, 12, 12, 13, 13, 13, 14, 15, 16, 20....So, n<m
But it could also be 10, 12, 12, 16, 16, 16, 16, 16, 16, 20......n>m
Insuff
E